“Demons,” an original painting by Salt Lake Community College student Emily Engh, has been stolen from the Student Center at Taylorsville Redwood Campus, where it was on permanent display.
According to James Walton, SLCC’s art collection technician, the Utah Highway Patrol has been conducting an investigation since mid-August. So far, the investigation has not garnered any real leads.
Engh created the piece in March of this year as a final project for her art class. It was purchased in April alongside another group of paintings — all intended to be kept on permanent display at the school.
“I put in a lot of work into that piece and was very happy how it turned out,” Engh says.
Engh’s young daughters were happy when it was finally out of the house and put on display at the school.
“It would reflect in a mirror they use [to] get ready and scare them,” Engh says.
The painting was installed on the second floor of the Student Center in June. Custodial staff noticed it had been taken in early August.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, college burglaries have been on a steady decline in the last 15 years, down from 30,000 during 2005 to just over 10,000 during 2016. Though crime has decreased on campuses across the nation, the theft of original artwork is a reminder for students to keep an eye on their belongings.
“At the end of the day, I guess [I] can advertise that people like my work so much they are stealing my art from the walls,” concludes Engh.
Students with any information on the missing artwork should contact Walton by email at james.walton@slcc.edu or by phone at 801-957-4530.
